


Eternity was far too short

by christallized



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Evillustrator - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Romance, Twoshot, marc is marinette's cousin, this was supposed to be a oneshot dammit, wholesome bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/christallized/pseuds/christallized
Summary: Marc is Marinette's cousin. One day he's modeling for her when Evillustrator shows up, mistakes him for Marinette, and invites him on a date. With such a pretty artist complimenting him and a cousin who for some reason really wants him to take her place, how can he say no?i.e. What if Marc and Nathaniel met much earlier in the series?
Relationships: Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Comments: 40
Kudos: 86
Collections: MarcNath Fics!





	1. Lost

Marinette sighed, resting her chin in her hand.

Time works with mathematical precision. All seconds and minutes have the same length as other seconds and minutes, everything passes at the same pace. Well, at least it did on earth, I mean, there was Einstien's theory of special relativity which meant that space and time were actually linked and so objects out in space would experience time differently-but she wasn't in space. Marinette was in a classroom, listening to Mme. Mendeleiev drone about particle physics.

So why did it feel like time was crawling at a snail's pace?

She resisted the urge to grab her phone and text Marc under the table. Mme. Mendeliev had eyes like a hawk. Besides, Marinette broke so many rules for her hero work, it would be best not to toe the line any further.

Marc was going to be modeling some clothes for her after school. There was a whole array of outfits she already had planned, including a few dresses and skirts. Marc, always shying from attention, had insisted that she also give him something to disguise his face, so people wouldn't know it was him. Marinette had given her cousin access to her whole makeup kit, along with a pair of blue contact lenses.

"I could use the makeup to look like you," Marc had said, frowning thoughtfully.

Marinette had laughed. "Try it," she said, grabbing his hands. "I want to see how skilled you are!"

Marc hunched his shoulders. "I don't know," he'd said, but he was smiling. "I'll try my best."

Marinette felt a smile starting to spread across her face as she tried to imagine what Marc would look like when she got home. Her head started to nod, lulled by the methodical tick of the clock-

"Nathaniel!" Mme. Mendeleiev slammed her hand down on the desk, startling Marinette awake. She turned around to see Nathaniel jerking up from where he had very obviously been napping at his desk. "What are you drawing?"

Nathaniel stuttered as Mme. Mendeleiev scolded him. Marinette couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the artist boy as he clutched his notebook to his chest and started his walk of shame to the principal's office.

His foot caught Mylene's bag and he tripped, the notebook flying out of his hands.

"Ooh!" Chloe said, snatching the notebook up. "Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero! And look who he's saving! It's Marinette!"

Marinette blinked. "Uh-"

"Gimme that!" Nathaniel snatched the notebook back, rushing away as Mme. Mendeliev's grating voice scolded him once again.

"Oof, poor Nathaniel," Alya muttered under her breath.

"Yeah," Marinette whispered. Nathaniel was nice, but she had her heart set on somebody else.

That afternoon Marinette tried not to sound too impatient as she worked on her presentation with Sabrina and tried to get Chloe to pitch in, but the girl was determined not to do any work and Marinette was quickly nearing the end of her patience.

She had things to do, dammit! Marc was waiting for her!

As if the world was determined not to let her have her photoshoot with Marc, an Akuma appeared in the library, targeting Chloe with magic art skills.

Great. An Akuma who had a vendetta against Chloe. Gee, that really narrowed the spectrum of possible victims.

As she and Chat Noir escorted Chloe home so they could question her in private, Ladybug hoped Marc would stay patient and safe.

I mean, it's not like anything was going to happen to him while she was gone, right?

~oOo~

Marc flopped down on Marinette's chaise longue, playing with the sleeves of the shirt on one of her outfits. It was very much Marinette's style. Marc had to admit, with the extra makeup, the blue contact lenses, and a lot of work on his hair, Marc looked scarily identical to Marinette, but with her hair down and a little bit differently proportioned.

She was supposed to be home soon. Marc checked his phone, but still no messages. He'd gone through all this trouble of dressing up for her photoshoot, it was unfair for her to leave him like this.

He was about to text her when something caught his eye outside the window. He barely had time to register the form of a person outside before the panes disappeared in a scattering of blue lights. Marc bolted off the longue, backing against the wall as a red-headed boy with purple skin stepped through as nonchalantly as though he had used the door, which he most definitely _had not_ done.

"Who...who are you?" Marc squeaked, raising his hands to his chest defensively as the boy turned to look at him. He was probably an Akuma, wasn't he? Normal people didn't have purple skin. Or could make windows disappear.

The boy stepped forward.

"Please don't hurt me," Marc said, shrinking back.

The akumatized boy tilted his head. "I won't hurt you," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle and very different from what Marc had thought the Akuma would act.

Marc paused. "You...won't?"

Of course not!" The boy said. "You're beautiful and sweet, and...you're perfect and I could never hurt you!"

Marc's heart fluttered.

This Akuma was not acting _at all_ how Marc thought he would.

"...um," Marc said, caught at a loss for words.

"So, I just came by to ask you, it, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?"

Marc was starting to wonder if any of this was real.

He had to be hallucinating, right? A cute boy just waltzes through the window, calls him perfect, and then just asks him to come to his birthday party? There's no way he wasn't dreaming.

"Who are you?" Marc said, trying to fight down the blush rising in his cheeks.

The boy stepped forward, kneeling down in a smooth, graceful movement that Marc could only compare as prince-like. Taking his hand, the Akuma pressed his lips against Marc's knuckles. "You may call me Evillustrator," he said, smiling up at him, stunningly blue eyes shining and leaving him speechless.

Marc's face was practically burning at this point. "I...uh...Evillustrator," he stammered, feeling dizzy from the rapid pace of his heartbeat. "Gosh, that's so nice of you to say, but I don't know if I can..."

"Please, Marinette!" Evillustrator pleaded. "It'll just be you and me!"

_Ah._

The warmth in Marc's body was gone as quickly as it had arrived, heart sinking like a cold stone thrown in an icy lake.

So this boy wasn't here for him. He was in love with Marinette.

Looking down at his clothes, thinking back on the work on his makeup and hair, the blue contact lenses in his eyes, Marc felt like an idiot for thinking Evillustrator had actually been flirting with _him_.

Before he could speak, Evillustrator stepped back, sketching something onto the tablet attached to his arm. A little piece of paper flew out and landed in Marc's hands.

"It's...me?" Marc asked, knowing that it really wasn't.

"You like it?"

Marc looked at Evillustrator. His eyes were so wide, so innocent, so unlike any other Akuma he'd seen before.

Marc's heart thudded. Oh no.

This was a problem.

"I love it," he said, and regretfully, he meant it. "I'll be there."

Evillustrator grabbed his hands. Marc squeaked a little. "Meet me at the left bank, Notre-Dame, at sunset," he said.

Marc swallowed hard. "Sunset?" He knew exactly where Evillustrator wanted him to meet up. Near the canal probably meant a romantic boat ride. And at sunset, too?

Marc was a romantic at heart. Oh god, this Akuma was like the boy of his dreams and it was the most elating and crushing feeling in the world.

Evillustrator nodded. "That'll give me time to deal with Chloe," he hissed, his body suddenly tense. The blue eyes that Marc had been enraptured with suddenly grew cold and steely, sending a sudden spike of fear up his spine.

"Don't," he said, tightening his grip on Evillustrator's hands. "I mean...please don't hurt anyone."

Evillustrator gave him a puzzled look. "But she's cruel and selfish," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind Marc's ear. Marc shivered at the contact. "She's mean to you."

Even if they weren't in the same class, Marc knew Chloe well enough to know that Evillustrator spoke the truth. Even so, he shook his head. "I can't stand violence," he insisted. _I can't stand to see someone as sweet as you so angry,_ his thoughts corrected.

Evillustrator paused. "For you and only you," he said, eyes softening as he stepped away. "I'll see you at sundown!" He sketched a jetpack and burst out of the room through the open window.

Marc slid to the ground, heart still hammering. His hands were still warm where Evillustrator had held them, the side of his cheek where the Akuma had brushed the hair from his face felt like it was burning.

What-

The fuck-

Had he just gotten himself into?

Marc kneeled forward, pressed his face to the carpet, and screamed.

The trapdoor creaked open.

"Marc?"

Marc sat back up to see Marinette entering into her room. "What happened to the window?" She said, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

Marc stared at Marinette, hugging his knees to his chest. "No," he said, his voice cracking with fear, with joy, with a hundred thousand emotions swirling around him like a tornado. "Marinette?"

"Yes?"

"Help."

~oOo~

"Glad to see you came back, M'lady," Chat Noir said as Ladybug swung back into the hotel.

"Ahh, Ladybug! You came back!" Chloe squealed.

"Sorry for leaving like that," Ladybug said. "But Chloe's out of danger right now. There's someone else we need to protect. Come with me."

"Bye," Chat Noir said, giving a quick nod to Chloe.

"What? Wait! Hey, no! Where are you going?" Chloe yelled, rushing to the balcony, but the two were already gone.

"So, what's the plan?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug landed in front of the bakery, knocking on the door. Chat Noir blinked as the door opened.

"We're protecting Marinette?" He asked, gesturing to the person who had opened the door. "Nice hair, by the way. Guess sometimes you gotta let your hair down, princess." He winked at the civilian.

"A-actually," the person stammered, clutching one arm to their side. "I'm not Marinette. My name is Marc, I'm her cousin."

Chat Noir blinked.

"We saw an Akuma leaving Marinette's room," Ladybug said. "Can you tell us anything about him?"

Marc nodded. "He...has a crush on Marinette," he said, biting his lip. "And...he thought I was her. So he asked me out on a date for his birthday and I...may have said yes?" He looked up guiltily at the two superheroes.

"You said yes to go on a date with a villain?" Chat Noir's eyes widened.

"He was a very charming villain," Marc muttered under his breath.

"Nevermind that," Ladybug said. "What else can you tell us?"

Marc shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Well, Marinette said she couldn't go because she had to work on a presentation, so she...asked me to keep pretending to be her for the date."

"Got it." Ladybug crossed her arms. "Marc, we're going to need your help to defeat him."

"What do you mean?"

"Just keep him distracted," Ladybug said. "Grab his pen if you can. We'll take care of the rest." She spun her yo-yo and swung away.

Chat Noir winked. "Have fun with the birthday boy," he said, winking before leaping away.

Marc's face was a brilliant shade of scarlet as he closed the door.

~oOo~

"Ok," Marc said, taking a deep breath as he approached the boat. "Everything's fine, you're fine. No pressure! Just going on a date with a supervillain. That's totally fine."

Well, he was definitely dressed the part. Before Marinette had left for the evening, she'd gone through the trouble of making sure he was "date ready".

Which meant Marc was currently walking through the streets of Paris in a long black dress with gossamer pink sleeves, his hair done up in a tight neat bun, and wearing lipstick so red he could hardly believe such a shade existed.

"When he sees you," Marinette had said, "he won't be able to take his eyes off you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Both?" Marinette hugged him. "Thank you so much for doing this," she had said. "And stay safe."

"I'll try."

Marc walked up to the boat. He could see Evillustrator sitting there.

"Happy Birthday," he said.

Evillustrator's head snapped up, face glowing. "Marinette!"

Marc swallowed the lump in his throat. "Hey," he said, smiling up at him. "I hope I didn't interrupt you."

Evillustrator jumped off the boat, landing next to Marc, who stepped back. Were Akumas always this agile? How strong was he?

"No, no, you weren't interrupting," Evillustrator said, then froze. "You...look beautiful," he said, blinking.

Marc's heart did twists and flips that would impress a gymnast. "Thanks," he said. "You too."

Evillustrator blinked.

"I mean you look nice!" Marc squeaked. "Not that I'm saying you don't look beautiful, you do, but I mean you're nice _and_ beautiful, uh, I mean-"

Evillustrator started laughing.

Marc's voice faltered. Evillustrator had an incredible laugh.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you," Evillustrator said, smiling. "It's just, no one's ever said such nice things to me before. I was a little caught off guard."

"Ah." Marc pressed his lips together.

"Well then," Evillustrator said, offering his arm. "Shall we?"

God, he was such a romantic. Marc would have swooned if he wasn't also kind of fearing for his life.

"We shall," he said, taking Evillustrator's arm.

~oOo~

The evening proved to be one of the best and worst nights of Marc's life.

Evillustrator was charming. He was witty, he was funny, his earnest way of talking captivated Marc's heart.

He also shouted at the moon at one point but everyone had their quirks.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Evillustrator had said. "It's just...I can't draw properly in the dark."

"Well, me neither," Marc joked. "Hey, we have something in common!"

Evillustrator had chuckled at that. "I didn't realize I could fall for you even more," he murmured, and Marc's heart soared.

There were points where Marc felt like he was on cloud nine, moments when Evillustrator smiled at him, or laughed at one of his jokes, or drew a rose and tucked it behind Marc's ear with such a soft expression Marc felt like he would melt.

And then Evillustrator would say something, like "Marinette, what do you think?" or "Thank you, Marinette," and suddenly Marc's little fantasy dream date would come crashing around him, shocking him back to reality. He was here on a mission. He wasn't supposed to be falling for him. Evillustrator didn't actually love him.

"Hey," Evillustrator asked, sitting next to him on a bench. "Is your voice okay?"

"Hm?"

"You sound different," Evillustrator said. "I wasn't sure how to bring it up, but...are you feeling alright? If you're sick then we can call this date off."

"No!" Marc said, a little more enthusiastically than he had intended. "I mean...I'm fine. Just a sore throat."

"Ok," Evillustrator said. "Well, I can't draw medicine, but maybe after this we can go get you some cough drops?"

Marc nodded, wiping his hands on his dress and fidgeting with his sleeves. "Sounds great," he said, trying to make his voice sound a little higher and more Marinette-like.

Something caught the corner of his eye, a flash of red. Ladybug was here.

Marc wasn't supposed to feel sad about that.

"Are you okay?" Evillustrator asked, tilting his chin up with one hand. "You're frowning."

Shit, he'd noticed.

Marc took a deep breath and inched closer. "It's nothing," he said, grabbing Evillustrator's hand. "It's just....you're so kind, I don't understand why you want to hurt people."

"Well, not all people," Evillustrator said. "Just Chloe. And I'm never doing that again. After all, you were true to your promise, so I'll be true to mine."

Marc blinked at the "again" part. "That's good to hear," he said.

Marc could see Chat Noir creeping up behind them. He swallowed hard.

Evillustrator glanced backwards.

"Chat Noir, look out!" Ladybug's voice called, as Evillustrator leapt to his feet, pen in hand.

"Run, Marinette!" Evillustrator yelled, hate burning in his eyes. "We'll meet up after-ah!"

Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around his wrist, pulling his arm back at a painful angle. Chat Noir's baton extended in front of him.

"Marc! The pen, grab it!" she called.

Evillustrator's eyes snapped to him. "Marc?"

Marc was frozen.

"This was all a trick?" Evillustrator hissed, his eyes wide with fury as he turned towards Marc.

"I..."

Evillustrator kicked Chat Noir's baton up in the air, tangling it with Ladybug's yo-yo. Chat Noir was yanked towards the water with a yell, and Ladybug released Evillustrator to grab Chat Noir before he fell.

The moment she caught his arm, a large box fell from the sky, trapping them both.

"Just stay there," Evillustrator said to the heroes. "There's something I need to do." He made a quick stroke with his pen and a hole opened up on the boat's side. The vessel lurched as it began to take on water.

Marc shrieked as he lost his balance, but Evillustrator dove forward, grabbing him around the waist and leaping away.

"Marc!" Ladybug screamed as he was whisked away by the Akuma, the boat quickly fading from view as Evillustrator leapt over buildings with superhuman strength and agility.

Marc was truly, completely afraid now. The rose in his hair was torn from behind his ear by the wind, spiraling into the streets of Paris below.

He couldn't even grab anything for stability, slung across Evillustrator's shoulder like this. All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and hope that Evillustrator wouldn't decide to let him fall mid-leap.

Eventually, the stomach-lurching jumps became quick, short steps as Evillustrator entered through the balcony into an unlit building. Marc gasped as he was thrown off of the Akuma's shoulder and onto someone's couch, looking up at a furious Evillustrator.

The look Evillustrator was giving him made Marc's bones turn to jelly.

"Explain," The Akuma hissed. "Who are you?"

Marc flinched as he stepped forward. "My-my name is Marc," he said. "I'm M-Marinette's cousin."

Evillustrator leaned forward, grabbing his chin, cold eyes examining his face. "Contacts," he whispered. "And makeup, too."

Evillustrator placed his pen onto his tablet. Marc flinched as red flecks flew from his eyes, painless, but still a weird feeling. He blinked, raising a hand to his eyes. The contacts were gone.

"Marc," Evillustrator said, his voice low, almost a purr. "Do you think it's fun to play with my feelings?"

Marc couldn't help it.

He started crying.

The Akuma blinked, taken aback.

"I-I'm sorry," Marc sobbed, burying his head in his hands. "You didn't know, and I didn't correct you, and then Marinette was scared and asked me to take her place, and I'm so, so sorry."

Evillustrator knelt down to his eye level, shoulders slumping. "So everything, our date, what you said...it was all a lie?"

"No," Marc choked. "No, it wasn't!" He curled up on the couch, shaking. "I'm an idiot, you were charming and romantic and I-I caught feelings for you so when Marinette asked me to take her place I-" Marc looked up at Evillustrator, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Evillustrator's eyes were wide, all traces of anger gone. "You...you have feelings for me?"

Marc sniffed. "Dumb, isn't it?" He rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his dress. "To think I fell for an Akuma."

Evillustrator paused, tilting his head. "I don't think it's dumb."

Marc shrunk back as Evillustrator's hand reached for him, but to his surprise, the Akuma's fingers ran through his hair, gently pushing the strands out of his face.

"All this time I thought I was falling more in love with Marinette," Evillustrator whispered. "When I was really falling for you."

Marc felt like his heart was going to burst. I mean, he was only one person! How was he supposed to deal with all these emotions at once?

God, Evillustrator looked like art itself, with his beautiful red hair and half-lidded eyes and slightly parted lips-

Those lips pressed against his own for a fraction of a second, a whisper that spoke louder than any words he could have said.

Marc exhaled, melting into his touch. The bittersweet taste lingered on his lips long after Evillustrator had pulled away, still caressing his hair.

"Don't lie to me ever again," Evie said.

"I don't think I could," Marc answered honestly.

"I'm glad."

They stayed there for a while, Evillustrator running his fingers through Marc's hair, Marc idly wondering _whose house had they broken into anyway_? But the position Evillustrator was in, much too close and yet not close enough, happened to be distracting him from thinking too hard about that question.

Evillustrator winced, pulling away suddenly. "I know, I know," he hissed, turning away from Marc.

Marc straightened. "What...?"

"Hawkmoth," Evillustrator muttered.

Oh, right.

The boy that he'd fallen in love with was a villain.

Whoops.

"I can't believe the heroes would try to protect Chloe," Evillustrator muttered, crossing his arms and taking a seat next to Marc.

"From what I've heard, she's kind of a bitch," Marc said.

"She's the worst," Evillustrator complained, throwing his hands up in the air. "I hate her! But," he pouted. "You said not to hurt her, so..."

Marc chuckled. "Well, I said not to _hurt_ her, but I didn't say you couldn't make her life a living hell."

"Huh?"

Marc smiled. "I'm not as morally just as Marinette. She wouldn't like you getting revenge on Chloe. But I figure if she's as horrible as you say, maybe a good scare will set her on the right path."

"Really?" Evillustrator's eyes lit up.

"But no violence," Marc said, raising a finger. "I don't like seeing you get angry."

Evillustrator nodded. "I'll try not to make a habit of scaring you." He got to his feet. "Want to come with me? I thought we could extend our date night for a while longer."

"I don't have any plans-whoa!" Marc let out a sudden shriek as Evillustrator swept him off the couch, carrying him bridal-style to the balcony.

Evillustrator grinned cheekily. "Good to hear."

"Oh no," Marc said, looking down at the long drop below. "Oh, that's scary."

"I won't let you fall, darling," Evillustrator said.

Marc stuttered, quickly turning red. Instead of replying, he buried his face into Evillustrator's chest.

"You're so cute when you blush," Evillustrator's amused voice said. "It reaches all the way to your ears."

"It's embarrassing."

"I think it's irresistible," Evillustrator whispered. And then he jumped.

Marc found himself clinging to Evillustrator as they soared through Paris. There was still quite a bit of fear that accompanied the extreme rising and falling method of their traveling, but with it came a new feeling of exhilaration.

Evillustrator liked him back.

How exciting it was to be loved by him! There was a thrill in his confidence, his suave demeanor, and his honest adoration. Marc found excitement in knowing that a person of such power and ability could speak to him so lovingly.

There was also the fear of knowing that in his heart, Evillustrator was an Akuma. He was created for evil. He'd have to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir, and he'd either win (bad) or lose and be lost forever to Marc (also bad).

Why did feelings have to be so complicated?

"Hey," Marc said, with words so quiet they were almost lost to the wind.

"Hm?"

"What if you...refused to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Evillustrator landed on a nearby roof and stopped. "I can't do that," he said, and Marc could swear he heard regret in his voice. "Hawkmoth will take away my powers."

Well. That certainly complicated things.

Soon enough, they landed on the rooftop of Mayor Bourgeois' hotel. Evillustrator set Marc down, stretching. "Any ideas on how to make Chloe's life miserable?" He asked.

Marc tapped his chin. "I doubt she needs everything in her wardrobe," he mused. "I'd suggest using her vanity as a weakness."

Evillustrator chuckled. "All her expensive dresses, gone in an instant. How tragic." He turned to Marc. "Besides, she could never wear them half as well as you, darling."

They entered into the hotel, easily reaching Chloe's room without running into any hotel staff. Evillustrator rattled the doorknob. Locked.

Marc suddenly felt very nervous. Was he a criminal now?

"Stay here," Evillustrator said. "I won't be long."

"Chat Noir? Is that you?" A voice from the other side of the door said.

Evillustrator erased the door, revealing a blond-haired girl that Marc vaguely recognized on the other side. She screamed and ran.

Evillustrator winked at Marc and then stepped inside. "Chloe," he sang. "Where are you?"

Well, this was it. Marc was evil now. Or...at least morally grey. "Evil" was a bit harsh, considering he hadn't actually done anything wrong yet-other than fraternizing with a literal supervillain-but you can't go to jail for that, right? Can you?

Chloe was screaming now, running into view while being chased by...a giant shoe? Well, that was certainly one way to do it.

Was this right?

A yo-yo soared through the window, catching the heel of the shoe and snapping it. The entire creation disappeared.

"Oops! Broke your heel!" Ladybug said as she jumped into the room. "Better watch your ankles."

Marc was surprised at the sudden feeling of dismay that washed over him. Chat Noir jumped in afterwards, baton at the ready. He shrunk back in the doorway, hoping the superheroes wouldn't see him.

"Where did you take Marc?" Ladybug demanded.

Evillustrator grinned. "You don't have to worry about him," he said. "I can keep him safe. But I need your miraculous for Hawkmoth!"

Chat Noir and Ladybug attacked Evillustrator, who quickly drew walls and weapons to keep them back. Chloe was cowering in a corner, too scared to run.

Should he run? Should he fight? Whose side would he even fight for? Marc clutched the side of the wall, watching as the superheroes fought against the Akuma, as they had always done before, as they were supposed to do. Was it right for him to be on Evillustrator's side? What if he did win and Paris lost their heroes?

"Chat Noir, the lights!"

"Cataclysm!"

"You don't have to cataclysm it!" Ladybug yelled. "It's a goddamn switch, kitty!"

But Chat Noir was already running for the light. Before he could reach it, Evillustrator erased the switch.

Marc jumped back with a shriek as Chat Noir's hand slammed into the wall where he had been hiding, turning that piece of wall to dust. Chat Noir must have heard him, because he peeked through the open hole, catching sight of him. "Marc?"

Marc gave an awkward smile.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug shouted a warning as Evillustrator lunged for him, sketching as he ran. Chat Noir tried to jump away, but a ball and chain formed around his leg, trapping him in place.

"You will not take him away!" Evillustrator yelled, tackling Chat Noir to the ground. Chat Noir's baton was kicked from his hand, landing next to Marc's foot. Another sketch, and Chat Noir's right hand was also ornamented with a similar ball and chain.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called, and a bouncy ball fell into her hands.

"Just try and stop me," Evillustrator growled, wrestling between pinning Chat Noir to the ground and drawing more restraints.

"Glady!" Ladybug yelled, throwing the bouncy ball like a pitcher at a baseball game.

Normal bouncy balls didn't usually have the power to break glass several times in a row. Marc knew this, which meant Ladybug either had the throwing arm of a god, or the ball was magic in some other way besides the "conjured out of thin air" way. Evillustrator hissed in frustration as the lights around the room began to shatter one by one. Abandoning all drawing tactics, he grabbed Chat Noir by the throat and slammed his head into the ground.

"Marc!" Ladybug yelled. "The baton!"

Marc looked down at the baton next to his feet.

Evillustrator turned to him, eyes wide.

"I...I..." Marc backed away.

"Do the right thing," Ladybug pleaded.

Marc squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry," he said, and kicked the baton towards Chat Noir.

Chat Noir grabbed the baton and lunged forward, using the momentum to pin Evillustrator to the ground, baton pressing against his throat. Evillustrator wheezed, letting go of the pencil as his hands flew to his neck in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pressure.

"Stop it!" Marc cried. "You're hurting him!"

Chat Noir stepped back in surprise as Marc rushed forward, kneeling at Evillustrator's side. Ladybug picked the Akuma's pencil off the ground, but didn't break it, watching with a guarded expression as Evillustrator coughed, air returning to his lungs.

Marc grabbed Evillustrator's hand. "Please don't be mad at me," he whispered.

Evillustrator smiled sadly. "You did what you had to," he said. "I just wish our time had lasted a little longer, so I could enjoy spending just another moment with you."

"Really?"

The Akuma's hand slid over Marc's. "Eternity would have been far too short for us."

Marc felt tears falling from his lashes. "It was a nice date," he choked.

"Well, I had someone nice to share it with."

Marc leaned down and pressed his lips against Evillustrator's, a final goodbye. He heard the smallest intake of breath from Ladybug, but as he pulled away, all he could look at was Evillustrator, his blue eyes sad but still smiling.

"You ready?" Ladybug asked.

Evillustrator closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Marc nodded. "Yeah."

There was a snap, and Evillustrator was gone.

~oOo~

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Nathaniel felt a rush of wind through his hair. His eyes snapped open. Why was it so dark? He'd been walking down the hallway to the principal's office, and then...

"Huh? Where am I?"

"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug said. Nathaniel blinked at them. Why were they here? Where was-

Oh.

Nathaniel felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Oops! Gotta go!" Chat Noir glanced at the ring on his finger, then jumped out the window, gone before Nathaniel could even open his mouth.

"I was akumatized," he said, more to himself than to anyone else.

"It's okay," Ladybug said, stepping forward, but a sudden beeping in her earrings made her stop. "Looks like I gotta split too," she said. "Bug out!"

Nathaniel felt dizzy, trying to process his new environment and figure out what had happened to him. Because of that, it took him a while to realize that someone was sitting next to him, looking down at the ground, completely silent.

The person was wearing a long black dress with gossamer pink sleeves, their hair done up in a very untidy bun.

"Who are you?"

The person looked up at him then, and Nathaniel was startled to see bright green eyes gleaming with tears. Given the dress and the makeup and the very red lips, they looked kind of like a girl, but something about that deduction didn't sit right with Nathaniel, like an old memory he had long forgotten.

"Ugh! Of course a loser like _you_ would decide to show up and make a mess of my things!"

Nathaniel's blood ran cold as he realized where he was.

He was in Chloe's room.

And Chloe was standing just a few feet away, hands on her hips, noticeably pissed.

"I should have daddy call the police on you for breaking and entering!" She seethed. Nathaniel flinched as she stepped forward. "You erased my dresses, you erased my shoes, you ruined my hair-"

"Could you shut up for five minutes?"

Nathaniel and Chloe paused, staring at the unknown third person. They stood up, brushing the dirt from their dress.

"How dare-who even are you?" Chloe asked.

"You're a selfish and stuck-up brat," the stranger said, voice trembling with rage. "You don't even have the capacity for empathy!"

Nathaniel blinked. The light from the window shone across the stranger's face, moonlight highlighting their hair, framing their tear-streaked face like a righteous angel, innocent and yet unyielding.

"I pity you," they spat. "Too stupid and self-absorbed to care about the people around you."

Chloe made an offended choking noise.

The person-if they were actually a person at all and not some godly celestial sent from heaven-turned and offered their hand to Nathaniel, helping him to his feet.

"I hope you can find someone to love you," they said. "But I'd mourn them, because _you_ could never love them back."

Hands still intertwined, the stranger pulled Nathaniel out of the room, closing the doors with a solid thud.

Striding down the hallways, Nathaniel had no choice but to let himself be pulled along by the stranger, into the elevator, out of the hotel, into the streets of Paris.

When did it become night? He'd still been in school last time he'd remembered.

The person stopped abruptly, and Nathaniel bumped into them. "Sorry," he muttered on reflex.

The stranger turned to him, so many expressions crossing their face, none of them readable. "You're...shorter than your Akuma," they said.

Nathaniel blinked. "Huh?"

The stranger squeezed their eyes shut tightly, breathing deeply. Nathaniel looked down to where his hand was still holding the stranger's, and noticed that their hand was shaking.

"You stood up for me against Chloe," Nathaniel said, an awed whisper in his voice. "I...thank you...why?"

And to his surprise, the stranger grabbed his shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I have to go," they said, and bolted.

"Wait!" Nathaniel yelled, running after them as they began to cross the street. The light turned green behind them and Nathaniel skidded to a stop as cars began to pass through the street. He considered taking a chance and running across anyway, but a very large truck passed by, scaring him out of that idea. "What's your name?" He called out, hoping for a reply.

There was no answer, only the whiz of cars passing in front of him, denying him a final glimpse of the stranger.

Nathaniel held one hand to his cheek where the stranger had kissed him, the other hand resting on his heart, feeling the rapid beat against his palm.

He could still visualize the stranger's face kind and soft, beautiful and mysterious and enchanting and-

Nathaniel could feel his heart beating louder.

There was only one thing to do.

He had to. He knew if he didn't then he would surely spend the rest of his life wondering, hoping, dreaming about those emerald eyes and raven hair.

He had to find the stranger.


	2. Found

It was almost as though the stranger didn't want to be found.

Nathaniel searched for the mysterious stranger who had appeared so suddenly and stolen his heart before running away, like an alluring thief, leaving only those precious fleeting memories of their voice and their face.

Through the media he learned that his akumatized self was called "Evillustrator", but the only record of what his Akuma had done was the reports of attacking Chloe in the school library. There were no other records of how he'd spent the rest of the day, nor anything to explain how he had ended up in Chloe's room by the end of it.

And, of course, nothing about the stranger.

Nathaniel had even worked up the nerve to ask Chloe about it. When he did, the blond girl simply flipped her hair and said. "Even if I did know anything, I wouldn't tell _you_."

He'd even tried to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir. Granted, there wasn't really a method of contacting the heroes other than running at them, waving your arms and shouting whenever you saw them. And plenty of people did that already, so Nathaniel was never able to push past them into the attention of either hero.

And yet, he couldn't get the image of the stranger out of his mind. It was like they were always there, a constant thought in the back of his head. He found himself drawing the stranger when he couldn't concentrate during classes, committing everything he could remember about them to memory.

The stranger seemed to take up every thought in waking hours, but in his dreams they were especially present.

His dreams were both his saving grace and his binding curse.

Whenever he could sleep, he dreamed of being Evillustrator.

Whether on not they were just fantastical dreams or memories of being an Akuma, Nathaniel had no way of verifying. But the dreams gave him comfort.

Sometimes he dreamed of a boat, sitting with the stranger, laughing, talking, sometimes dancing under the moonlight, the stranger's dress black as night and yet glistening like diamonds.

Sometimes he dreamed of holding the stranger while they cried, somewhere, in a dark room. He dreamed of a brush of lips against the other's, as gentle as a breath of wind.

Sometimes he dreamed of more, kissing the stranger more passionately, running his hands up the stranger's legs, hiking that sleek black dress up to their thighs while the stranger pulled him closer and whispered in his ear.

That last one wasn't a memory and Nathaniel knew it, but he cherished it all the same.

~oOo~

"Good afternoon, Mom!" Marinette waved cheerfully to her mother as she entered the bakery.

"Good afternoon," Sabine said, giving her daughter a pleasant smile and pressing a warm paper bag in her hands. "Marc's up in your room, dear. Would you mind bringing these up to him?"

"Sure!" Marinette pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek, racing up the stairs to her bedroom.

Sure enough, Marc was there, lying face down on her pink chaise longue.

"Hey," Marinette said, sitting down next to her cousin's legs. She poked the inside of his knee and Marc jerked away reflexively. "Talk to me."

Marc was clutching one of her throw pillows to his chest, and turned to look up at her with a miserable expression. "I didn't even tell him my name," he lamented, curling up into a ball. "It doesn't matter, anyway. He doesn't know me. He probably didn't even give me a second thought."

"You're still hung up on that?" Marinette sighed. "Here. Mom made," she checked the bag, "chocolate chip cookies for you."

Marc stretched out one arm and made grabby hand motions for the bag. Marinette took a cookie out and handed the rest of the warm bag to Marc, who hugged it to his chest along with the throw pillow.

"Marc, you can't spend the rest of your life moping about it forever," Marinette said.

"Watch me," Marc muttered stubbornly.

"Why not talk to him?"  
"Even if I did know where to find him...what if he doesn't recognize me? What if he thinks I'm weird? What if he's nothing like Evillustrator? I kissed him on the cheek and ran away!" Marc groaned. "Such a disaster."

"You could at least try," Marinette said. "He's in my class after all, so I could introduce you to him!"

"Marinette." Marc turned to look up at her. "That is the most embarrassing proposition you have ever given me."

"It's not that embarrassing-"

"I would die of shame on the spot."

Marinette sighed, choosing to eat her cookie rather than argue with her cousin on the matter any longer.

Marc was gazing out into empty space. "You said he was in your class," he said. "What's he like?"

"Huh?"

Marc's cheeks grew red, but he kept his eyes focused on that fixed space in the middle distance. "What kind of person is he?"

"Well," Marinette said, trying to hide a knowing smile. "His name is Nathaniel Kurtzberg, and he's mostly known as our class artist and massive introvert."

Marc blinked. "Nathaniel," he whispered. "That's a nice name."

~oOo~

Nathaniel banged his head on the table.

It was hopeless. He'd never figure out who the stranger was.

He was doomed to wonder about them for eternity.

Was the universe really this cruel? To have him catch feelings so suddenly with someone he didn't even know and might never meet again?

He was in the Art room. It was the only place that gave him any comfort anymore. He couldn't concentrate in the classrooms, lunch break was filled with him desperately scanning people's faces instead of eating-even walking down the hallways was torturous, since he'd get lost in thought and had almost fallen down the stairs more than once because he wasn't paying attention.

Alix had caught him by the back of his shirt the most recent time. "What is going on with you?" She had demanded. And Nathaniel had broken and told her everything.

Speaking of Alix, the spunky girl hopped onto the table, swinging her legs over empty air. "Sup?"

Nathaniel whined into the table surface.

"Oh my god." Alix ruffled his hair. "Just when I think you can't act more mopey and lovestruck, you exceed my expectations again." She grabbed one of the several drawings surrounding the artist's head. "You don't even draw anyone else anymore!"

"Alix, the tables aren't stable enough for sitting," the Art Teacher reprimanded as he approached.

Alix hopped off.

"Looks like you've been very creative recently," he said, patting Nathaniel's shoulder as the red-head looked up at him. "If you feel like sharing any of your work, just let me know."

"I don't know," Nathaniel said, leaning back and passing one of the drawings to the Art Teacher.

Their teacher raised an eyebrow. "This is a very beautiful drawing, Nathaniel!"

"Do you know them?"

The old man furrowed his eyebrows, examining the paper closer. "I don't believe so," he said. "Should I?"

Nathaniel sighed and turned away.

"Apparently someone was with Nathaniel when he got deakumatized," Alix explained. "And Nathaniel fell in love with them-"

"I did not!"

"Then what's this?" Alix turned to the mess on the table and began sorting through pages and pages of the stranger, full-body pictures, face sketches, pictures of them with Evillustrator-

Nathaniel gathered the pictures together in his arms, his face a bright crimson color. "It's...it's..." he stammered, trying to come up with an excuse but nothing came to mind. "Shut up!"

"Hey guys!" Marinette stepped through the door. "What's going on?"

Nathaniel froze. Marinette. Marinette! Part of his akumatization had to do with when he had a crush on her! Of course, those feelings had been all but washed away with this tidal wave of the stranger taking up his mind-

"Hey," Alix said, waving to the girl.

"Marinette!" Nathaniel got to his feet suddenly and raced towards the girl, a stack of papers in his arms. "Marinette, I need your help, you're my last chance."

"Whoah, whoah," Marinette grabbed his shoulders and guided him back to his chair. "Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in weeks!"

Nathaniel shook his head. "Marinette, I was akumatized partly because I was in love with you," he said, placing the sketches back on the table while Alix and the Art Teacher looked at him with an interested expression.

Marinette blinked. "Um, okay,"

"Don't worry, that's all over now," Nathaniel said, preoccupied with flipping through his papers.

"Ouch," Alix whispered.

"Marinette," Nathaniel said, grabbing a paper and showing it to her, "do you know this person?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Nathaniel's hands were almost shaking as he watched Marinette's eyes flit over the paper.

"Is this..." Marinette whispered. "Is this Marc?"

Nathaniel's heart leapt in his throat.

Marc.

_Marc._

_MarcMarcMarcMarcMarc-_

That had to be it. That was it. Nathaniel couldn't think of a more perfect name to describe them-no, to describe _him._ The stranger was a boy, and his name was Marc.

"Dude," Alix whispered, leaning forward. "Are you crying?"

Nathaniel blinked, suddenly aware of the tears in his eyes. "Yeah," he said, wiping them away with a sleeve. Then he laughed, pressing his hands to his mouth.

"Nathaniel?"

Nathaniel couldn't even speak. He doubled over, tears springing from his eyes as his heart thudded so loudly he was almost afraid it would suddenly give out and kill him.

Alix grabbed him as he sunk to the ground, sobbing. Why was he crying? Was it something he couldn't remember? Some feeling, deep in his heart, that had suddenly broken free?

"Nathaniel, talk to me," Alix said, clearly concerned.

"I found him," Nathaniel laughed. He hugged Alix, burying his head in her shirt. "I found him."

Alix patted his back awkwardly. "You need to sleep," she said, helping him back to his feet and turning to the Art Teacher. "I'm taking him home."

The Art Teacher nodded. "Make sure he gets food and water."

"Wait," Nathaniel said, shaking his head. "Marinette, I need to talk to him. I need to-" His vision was blurry. Since when was he so tired? When was the last time he ate?

"We'll talk later," Marinette said, nodding. "But I insist you take care of yourself first."

Nathaniel nodded, letting Alix lead him away.

"Hey," Alix said, patting his back.

"I found him," Nathaniel whispered, both knees and breath shaky.

Alix sighed. "How are you so in love with this boy? You knew him for a full three minutes!"

"Evillustrator knew him too," Nathaniel defended.

"You're hopeless."

Grumbling, Nathaniel let Alix lead him towards the nearest bus stop.

"But hey," Alix said. "For your sake, I hope it works out."

Nathaniel smiled. "Thanks."

~oOo~

"Hey," Marinette said, peeking under the stairs where Marc was writing.

"Oh, hey Marinette," Marc said, blinking up at him.

Marinette took a seat under the stairs, facing her cousin. "I told Nathaniel about you," she said.

Marc sat up at an alarming speed, banging his head on the stairs above him. "OW!"

"Marc!" Marinette winced as he dropped his head between his knees, clutching the back of his head with both hands. "Sorry!"

Marc rubbed at the spot, checking his fingers for blood. "It's...hhhh...it's alright," he said. "You did _what_?"

Marinette crossed her legs. "Well, he asked me about you first," she said. "I think he really wants to meet you!"

"Oh no," Marc said. "I don't know if I can."

Marinette opened her bag, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Marc. "I think it's worth a try."

Marc looked down at the paper and gasped.

It was a full-body picture of him.

The black dress hugged his legs and waist, the transparent sleeves flowing in the wind, and the bun that he had worn was messy yet still beautiful.

But his face was what caught Marc off guard, a pleasant shiver running down his spine, the pain in the back of his head completely forgotten.

The Marc in this picture was smiling.

~oOo~

Nathaniel clutched his phone in his hand, palms sweaty as he lay down in bed, staring up at his screen.

**Marinette: I need to know if you're willing to meet the person you drew.**

He wasn't dreaming, right? This wasn't some prank?

**Nathaniel: I am**

His stomach was churning. At least he _had_ eaten food, threatened by Alix to do so out of fear of his friend forcing him to eat-she'd do it, too, that was the scariest part.

**Marinette: Meet at the Place de Vosges Square Fountain.**

That was it. No time, no other instructions, just a place.

Nathaniel grabbed his jacket and bag and headed out. Alix had already left, so she couldn't force him to go back to bed.

He felt almost dizzy with adrenaline as he walked towards the park. There weren't many people there today, just the man who fed the pigeons, a random police officer walking by, and...

Someone sitting on the edge of the fountain.

Nathaniel's eyes flitted away, suddenly shy as his heart rate skyrocketed. He clutched at his bag strap and approached.

The person was facing away from him, obscured by a bright red hoodie, but he could see a journal in their hands.

He stopped just a few feet away, biting his lip. "Marc?"

"Huh?" The person turned to face him and Nathaniel gasped.

Green eyes. The same green eyes that he had first noticed when he'd been de-akumatized. The same heart-shaped face that he'd drawn so many times, the raven hair and soft-looking lips-though this time they were pink and not red-

"You're Nathaniel," Marc said.

Nathaniel laughed a little. "Yeah," he said. "That's me. Can I...um..." he gestured to the seat next to Marc.

"Oh! Of course!"

Nathaniel sat down, too shy to look Marc in the face.

"Marinette said you wanted to meet me," Marc said. "Well...here I am." He smiled at Marc and Nathaniel _melted._

How could someone be so cute, so enchanting, so...so perfect?

"It's funny," Marc said, tilting his head and smiling to himself. "Usually two people get introduced _before_ their first date."

Nathaniel blinked. "Our what?"

Marc stared back, innocently, before realizing what he said. His eyes widened. "Oh, you don't remember! I'm so sorry," he rambled, hands flailing. "I didn't mean we were-I mean, if you wanted to-but we weren't actually-well except for the kiss but-"

"The kiss?" Nathaniel leaned forward as Marc buried his face in his hands. "We kissed?"

Marc pulled the sides of his hoodie down to hide his face. "I mean...sorta," he muttered.

"Well," Nathaniel said, speaking before his mind could catch up to his tongue. "It seems my Akuma has good taste."

Marc looked at him, and Nathaniel saw that the boy's face was now a bright shade of red.

"You...you're not that different from Evillustrator," Marc said.

Nathaniel shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I can't remember anything from when I was an Akuma, and believe me, I tried."

Marc looked down at the journal in his hands. "I wrote it all down," he said, after a long moment of silence. "Everything that happened." He opened the journal to a page and slid it over to Nathaniel. "You should know."

Nathaniel took the journal, a shiver running down his spine as his fingers brushed against Marc's for a second. He placed his bag on the ground and started reading, trembling with nervous energy and excitement as Marc gave him the answers he had been searching for.

He must have sat there for hours, reading page after page of Marc's account, described so beautifully Nathaniel could almost visualize himself in that moment. Maybe it was lost memories being brought back, maybe it was his own imagination. Marc's head came to rest on his shoulder as the boy read along with him, and Nathaniel didn't think he could be in a happier time or place.

When it came to the part where Evillustrator kissed Marc, Nathaniel placed a hand to his lips, trying to recall the feeling that the words described.

He read about his defeat, the final moments shared between Evillustrator and Marc, like a tragic fairy tale. The next few accounts he could recall clearly, as accurate as his own memory.

As he read through the final sentences, Nathaniel exhaled, closing the book and regretfully pulling himself back into reality, back to the park, sitting on the edge of the fountain.

The sun was beginning to set, and no one else was in the park except for them. Marc pulled away, yawning.

"Wow," Nathaniel whispered. "You're an incredible writer, Marc!"

Marc froze. "Well, it's kind of my hobby," he said, ducking his head shyly. "You really like it?"

Nathaniel smiled. "I could read your words forever," he said, leaning forward.

Marc squeaked, biting his lip as he pressed his hands to his cheeks. "You're exaggerating," he said, turning away.

Nathaniel wanted to kiss him so, so badly. The stranger that he'd fallen for was so much more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. "I don't think I am," he said, enjoying how flustered Marc was getting. "I love reading your work."

"W-well I love your art," Marc said, crossing his arms.

Nathaniel blinked. "You've seen my art?"

Marc leaned forward to touch the book on Nathaniel's lap and opened it to its final page. Tucked into the binding was a loose paper, a paper that Nathaniel recognized instantly as the one he had given to Marinette. His sketch of Marc in his dress, smiling up at the viewer.

"Well," Nathaniel said, swallowing hard. "I love the writer, too."

There. He'd said it. Nathaniel closed his eyes, afraid to see Marc's reaction.

He heard Marc exhale a low, shaky breath. Then there was a hand on his cheek, turning Nathaniel's face towards him. Nathaniel opened his eyes.

"Well," Marc breathed, his face much closer than Nath had expected. He could feel the writer's breath on his cheeks. "That's good to know."

Nathaniel leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

"Oh!" Marc gasped against his lips, then he was pressing back.

In kissing standards, it wasn't perfect. They were both clumsy and inexperienced, teeth clacking together and noses bumping into each other.

It was the most incredible kiss Nathaniel had ever felt.

Marc pressed closer, wrapping his arms around Nathaniel. Nathaniel tilted back to give Marc a better angle-wait, he was still tilting. Why was he still tilting?

Nathaniel managed to realize what was happening quickly enough to throw the journal out of his lap before he was falling, Marc still holding him, both of them screaming as they fell into the fountain with a splash.

Nathaniel bolted up, spluttering and hacking cold water from his lungs. Marc had managed not to be submerged by landing on top of Nathaniel instead, legs wrapped around his torso and apologizing with a panicked voice.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry I wasn't thinking are you okay jesus christ it's cold I'm sorry I was caught up in the moment and I leaned forward and I forgot where we were and-"

Nathaniel scooped up a palmful of water in his hand and threw it at Marc, splattering it across his face. Marc jerked back, blinking in surprise.

"There," Nathaniel gasped. "Now we're even."

Marc opened his mouth, about to retort, but his nose scrunched up and he sneezed.

Nathaniel giggled.

"Shut up," Marc whined.

"You sneeze like a kitten," Nathaniel said, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's embarrassing."

"It's cute!"

Marc got to his feet, helping Nathaniel out of the fountain. "Gah, so cold," he complained, penguin-walking over to where the journal had been thrown.

"I got completely submerged," Nathaniel said. "It's freezing."

"Sorry."

"Eh," Nathaniel said. "I can't complain if a cute guy made me wet."

Marc choked.

"Was that too much?" Nathaniel said, suddenly panicked. "Should I not have...?"

"No, no, you're fine!" Marc said, his voice cracking a little. "You're...we should probably go now. It's not a good idea to stay in wet clothes."

Nathaniel nodded, shivering. "Can we exchange contact info?"

Marc nodded, pulling his phone out of the inside of his hoodie, which had thankfully not gotten wet. Nathaniel retrieved his phone from his bag.

"See you tomorrow at school?" Marc asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

"Can't wait," Nath replied, winking.

He walked home, his body cold and drenched but his heart warm and full.

He'd found Marc. He'd fallen for Marc, and Marc had fallen for him! He was going to be able to talk and laugh with this beautiful, incredible writer, see him and feel him and no longer have to imagine what his laugh sounded like, no longer have to wonder what it felt to have the boy's arms around him.

Eternity would be far too short a time to spend with someone like him.

~oOo~

"Well?" Marinette was bouncing in her seat at the desk as Marc entered her room. "How did it go?"

Marc walked over to the chaise longue and flopped down dramatically on it. "It was like a dream," he sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Also, can I borrow one of your skirts? My pants are soaked."

"Sounds like you had fun." Marinette smiled as she moved to her dresser, tossing a long green skirt at Marc's face. "I'm glad."

Marc was beaming. To think that Nath was everything he had come to love about Evillustrator and more!

God, it was gonna take _forever_ for tomorrow to come around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes that good, sweet art, you know you love it:
> 
> https://dragonchris.tumblr.com/post/632068862259691520/art-for-a-new-marcnath-fic-eternity-was-far-too


End file.
